Isaiah Chapter 17

Isaiah makes proclamations against Syria and Israel in chapter 17. Damascus will cease from being a city, and it will be a ruinous heap (v1), while the glory of Jacob would wane, and the fatness of His flesh grow lean (v4). Israel will no longer be fruitful, with only four to five olives in its most fruitful branch (v6). An olive branch should be able to bear tens of olives, with a mature tree producing thousands of olives. This shows the drastic decline of Israel.

Why should such a thing happen to Israel? The answer lies in v10-11:

“Because you have forgotten the God of your salvation, And have not been mindful of the Rock of your stronghold, Therefore you will plant pleasant plants And set out foreign seedlings; In the day you will make your plant to grow, And in the morning you will make your seed to flourish; But the harvest will be a heap of ruins In the day of grief and desperate sorrow.”

Isaiah 17:10-11 NKJV

The Israelites were a nation because God saved them out of Egypt. They became prosperous by God’s grace. Yet they had forgotten the God of their salvation. They became proud before God (Isaiah 9:9).

Does this remind us of our own relationship with God?

All that we have comes from God. However sometimes, we think of what God has provided us with, as our own achievements, and we grow proud. Having a smooth sailing life, we think that we lack nothing and we draw away from God, seeking our own pleasures in life and forgetting His grace for us. Only when we realise the Lord has stopped shining His face on us, do we turn back, like how the Israelites put away their idols and come before God when they face God’s punishment.

“In that day a man will look to his Maker, And his eyes will have respect for the Holy One of Israel. He will not look to the altars, The work of his hands; He will not respect what his fingers have made, Nor the wooden images nor the incense altars.”

Isaiah 17:7-8 NKJV

I am reminded of Joshua’s exhortation to the Israelites in Joshua 23. Joshua reminded the Israelites for all that God had done for them, and encouraged them to love God.

“You have seen all that the Lord your God has done to all these nations because of you, for the Lord your God is He who has fought for you.”

Joshua 23:3 NKJV

“Therefore take careful heed to yourselves, that you love the Lord your God.”

Joshua 23:11 NKJV

We, as human beings, are often forgetful. We often forget God’s grace for us. As such, we do not respond sufficiently to His grace. Hence Joshua encourages us to be mindful to love God. The first step is to be mindful of what God has done for us. The big things like our salvation, the salvation of our family. The testimonies that we have that helped to root us in our faith. For the small mundane things, getting through one day of work or school, which ironically, occupies more space in our minds and hearts than the big things sometimes.

The next step is to be mindful of whether of actions are becoming of those who claim they love God. As Jesus said:

“If you love Me, keep My commandments.”
John 14:15 NKJV

If we truly love God, we will be mindful of whether our actions please Him. We will make an effort to glorify His name as Christians. May we remember and love the God of our salvation.

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